Gov't launches task force with unions, business leaders on 4.5-day workweek

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Gov't launches task force with unions, business leaders on 4.5-day workweek

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 21:41 Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 14:31

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon speaks at the kickoff meeting of the task force for reducing actual working hours at the LW Convention Center in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

Can a country long defined by grueling office hours finally learn to slow down? Korea is weighing a four-and-a-half-day workweek to find out.

The government launched a task force with unions, business leaders and experts on Wednesday to chart a road map for cutting working hours, with recommendations due within three months. The government plans to submit legislation based on the road map within the year.

Rather than mandating change through law, the government wants companies and employees to voluntarily adopt a shorter workweek through dialogue. Officials frame the initiative as a way to adjust to the age of AI by reducing hours and sharing jobs. But concerns about lower productivity and higher labor costs are already surfacing, suggesting a difficult road ahead.

Bae Kyu-sik, the former president of the Korea Labor Institute, and Kim Yu-jin, the director general of labor policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, will co-chair the body, with Kim Jong-jin of the Korea Worker Institute as vice chair. The 17 members include representatives from the country’s two largest umbrella unions and business associations, as well as academic experts.

“Reducing actual working hours does not happen overnight by force," Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said at the launch.

"Labor and management must take the lead in finding solutions, and the government will actively support them," he added.

Kim Yu-jin added that the review will cover policies on annual leave, overtime and a shorter workweek, stressing that “since labor and management hold different views, the road map will need to address what pace and sequence of reforms can lead to real reductions in working hours.”

The last major tripartite deal came in 2015, when the three sides agreed to a 52-hour maximum workweek. Whether they can reach another consensus on a four-and-a-half-day system remains uncertain.

Productivity and cost concerns

Workers pick up coffees at a shop in Yeouido, western Seoul, on June 9. [YONHAP]

Business groups warn that Korea’s productivity already lags behind major economies. According to the Korea Enterprises Federation, hourly labor productivity here ranges from $44.40 to $54.60, about 77 percent of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average. The United States stands at $77.90, while Germany, France and Britain post $68.10, $65.80 and $60.10 respectively.

The federation argued that “if working hours are reduced without addressing low productivity, it will weaken corporate competitiveness and deepen social polarization. Before discussing shorter hours, policymakers should first improve flexible work systems to raise productivity.”

The government counters that advances in AI could boost efficiency enough to offset fewer hours.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Oh Sam-il, a team leader at the Bank of Korea, presented research estimating that AI adoption can raise productivity by 1 percent, but only if the hours saved are reinvested in other tasks.

"This figure is valid only on the assumption that the one-and-a-half-hour cut from working time is reinvested in other productive activities, not for rest or leisure," Oh said, cautioning that it may be premature to assume AI will directly enable a shorter workweek.

Sharing jobs or reducing them?

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon, sixth from left in the front row, poses for a group photo with participants at the kickoff meeting of the task force for reducing working hours at the LW Convention Center in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

Minister Kim emphasized the potential for shorter hours to "share" employment.

“There are concerns that AI could reduce employment. To prevent technology from excluding workers, we need job sharing. Reducing actual working hours is key to boosting productivity, raising employment and balancing work and family life,” he said.

Skepticism remains. Lee Jun-hee, a law professor at Kwangwoon University, said, “A four-and-a-half-day system without lower wages cannot realistically lead to job sharing."

"Given that the new 'Yellow Envelope' labor bill and ongoing discussions on extending the retirement age increase the cost burden on companies, the timing of implementing a four-and-a-half-day workweek should be adjusted with more leeway and carried out at a moderated pace," Prof. Lee said.

Experts also warned that while AI can cut working hours, it may ultimately shrink the number of jobs. Oh noted that less experienced workers benefit most from AI tools, since these can speed up skill development. But this also means their tasks are easier to automate.

"For less experienced workers, AI can help them build skills more quickly, which is a positive. But it also means the tasks they handle are easier to replace with AI," Oh said.

"In the short term, productivity rises. In the long term, however, demand for these jobs may fall," the central bank official added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]